Five Steps to Begin Promoting Online Community

So, what do you do after creating an educational community, a niche social network, or a commercial website offering unique goods or services? Obviously, it’s time to start looking for audience, while considering how the target audience might be looking for your platform. These days it’s no longer enough to ask “How can I reach my customers.” An equally important question is “How should my customers reach me?” It is the age of interactive marketing after all.

1. SEO
The first thing anyone does looking for something on the internet is use a search engine. Whether it’s Google, Yahoo, Yandex, Bing, etc., all of them are trying to provide the most relevant information to the user. This is your first serious cue to make a significant impact with the help of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO terrifies many beginning webmasters, since the impression is that it constantly changes the way it works. The truth is – while some changes do appear regularly in algorithms, the essentials almost always stay the same. What search engines do is show the best content people are looking for. Hence, content is one of the most important ‘tools’ at your disposal. What you need to do to make people come back for more is create interesting and unique content, as well as update it often and consistently.

2. Online Reviews
This step is the online version of “word of mouth.” Your target audience will want to know what other people think of your website. This is quite essential, since no one likes getting a cat in the bag. Thus, after coming up with some great content and presentable looks for your website, it’s time to introduce yourself to the local listings, influential bloggers, and opinion makers in your industry. Get noticed, listed, and then wait for reviews and recommendations, followed by an influx of new visitors.

3. Facebook
Everybody is on Facebook, often checking the site several times a day. It’s the largest online social network, remember? But it is also a powerful marketing tool for customer-relationship management. You can use Facebook’s native paid advertising, as well as free opportunities. For instance, just check Downtown Abbey’s Facebook page, and look at how effectively, friendly and beneficially they engage with the fans.

4. Twitter
Twitter is crowded with many curious users craving for news, looking for updates, checking links, and sharing their experiences, pictures and videos. It is a brilliant free tool to find your target audience, drive them to your community, or keep in touch with the new and regular visitors by utilizing the invitation principle of “take a look, have a coffee, and make a purchase.”

5. YouTube
By now everyone is aware that there is 1 billion unique monthly visitors on YouTube who watch 6 billion hours of videos every month. In US alone, YouTube reaches more adults in the coveted 18-34 age bracket than any American cable network. Think about it. Quite obviously you ought to have a channel if you want to succeed; besides, it’s free!

Start with a simple and short videos explaining what your website offers, the problems it solves, the community it targets, and the services it provides. Get it up and running, supplemented with right keywords and a link back to your site. Add the video to your homepage, share it on Facebook, and tweet to your followers. Visuals and videos can work magic, because that’s what the net is all about at the age of shortening attention spans.